INTERVIEW: Having A Chat With 80s Legend – Sonia

Way back in 1989 I was watching a TV show called “Jason Donovan & Friends” when a red-headed, bubbly, 18 year old from Liverpool came bouncing on to the stage. She was awesome! She was Sonia! What’s more awesome is she agreed to answer a few questions for this blog!

Her singing career was launched in 1989 by the songwriting and music producing trio Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman known as Stock Aitken Waterman. She was signed after badgering Pete Waterman to listen to her sing outside the recording studio in Liverpool. Waterman did a regular weekly radio broadcast. He called her bluff and had her sing live on his show. The song “You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You” soon reached number one in the UK and made Sonia one of the youngest female British singers to achieve this feat.

When I asked Sonia if she kept in touch with the dancer she declined to comment!

The album “Everybody Knows” soon followed with all 5 singles going top 20. I loved “Listen To Your Heart” and “Counting Every Single Minute”

Sonia and Stock, Aitken & Waterman parted ways in 1991 but she went on to produce more cracking songs with the likes of “Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)” and “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy”

However, in 1993 she only took part in EUROVISION! So let’s hear from the lady herself…

Hi Sonia – thanks for agreeing to answer my questions and without further ado – let’s talk about my obsession – Eurovision! How did you come to be involved in that?

I was asked directly by the BBC to represent the UK. I didn’t know what song I was to sing at that point and it was a six month process to find the song.

Eurovision gets a lot of bad press – were you up for the challenge?

It was such an honour to sing for the UK!

Is it really as crazy as it looks?

Yes Eurovision crazy but…great fun!

Sonia sang “Better The Devil You Know” and was robbed into second place at the very last minute…

Sonia – you must have been gutted to lose at the very last minute. However, let’s not dwell on that. More importantly, do you still have the purple trouser suit?

I don’t still have it – last time I saw it was on Stars In Their Eyes.

Oh, I think we need to take a wee look at that…

Sonia then went on to play Sandy in Grease alongside Craig McLachlan. When I asked her who her ideal Danny would have been she politely declined to answer so let’s just say she was probably hopelessly devoted to Craig…

In 2003, Sonia appeared in the reality show Reborn in the USA and just listen to how amazing her voice is…

So, Sonia – we both know that Dollar were dicks…

…but who were your friends on the show?

I was most friendly with Tony Hadley Peter Cox and Leee John!

Do you know the number one song in the UK when you were born?

(she didn’t but it’s…)

What’s on Sonia’s MP3 player right now?

Little Mix and Adele.

Wow – now there’s a duet I’d love to hear!

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

“Let’s Wait A While” by Janet Jackson

Nice – let’s listen…

What next for you?

Playing loads more festivals and 80’s gigs!

Awesome – I hope to catch you at one of these sometime – especially if Re:Wind is anything to go by…

Thank you so much Sonia for doing this for me – you’ve made a 80’s pop child and nowadays, 80’s fanatic, very happy!

But wait, there’s more!

A NEW SONG!

‘If You Come Back To Me’ should have been follow up to Sonia‘s huge top ten hit single ‘Only Fools Never Fall In Love’ (after leaving the hit factory). However Simon Cowell who then signed Sonia chose to bring out ‘Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy’

This track follows on from the last two successful digital singles this summer ‘Dancin’ In The Drivers Seat’…

I’m Steve and live in a village called Alford (home of Emeli Sande & birthplace of the Aberdeen Angus cow) in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
I currently work in the IT industry (yawn)
I just want to share my ideas, findings and general reflections with whoever wants to listen.